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In the towns and cities of New York, prior to 1880, official records of marriage and death were rarely filed. Fortunately, newspapers can often be used to overcome this deficiency, as they contain a wealth of information about the marriages and deaths of local people. Moreover, newspaper notices of marriages and deaths often contain detail lacking in the more frequently sought cemetery, church, and town record books. The compilers of this book have joined forces to produce a list of 7,000 marriages and deaths--naming 20,000 persons in all--from fifteen newspapers of the Hudson-Mohawk Valley area, giving researchers a much-needed boost in their search for vital records.

Typically the marriage notices give such information as the names of the bride and groom, the date of the marriage, the place, the names of parents, and the name of the officiating minister. Death notices, on the other hand, provide the date and place of death, age at death, sometimes cause of death, occupation, and names of survivors.